Sanjay Dutt moves from Gandhigiri to Freedom

Sanjay Dutt has opened a new chapter in his life. From playing a gangster in a dozen odd films to advocating 'gandhigiri' in Lage Raho Munnabhai, he would now be marching to a different beat with Freedom, a film which would take audience through the journey of India from the 70s to the current times. The film would be directed by Vivek Agnihotri and has already been given a nod of approval by Sanjay Dutt as well as Madhavan. Hunt for the remainder of the principal cast is on.

Confirms Vivek Agnihotri, the man behind Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal (John Abraham, Arshad Warsi, Bipasha Basu) and Chocolate (Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Tanushree Dutta), "Yes, Freedom is happening for sure. The principal cast is more or less finalised and talks with Sanjay Dutt and Madhavan are progressing quite well as they are in the final stages. Sanjay is out of town and I would be meeting him soon after his return to take a closure on the formalities. I am also keen on signing Mohan Lal for the film and have approached him as well. It would be great if he consents because the film will certainly befit his standing as an actor who only does meaningful cinema."

Looking at the subject of Freedom, it does hint of being meaningful cinema with a commercial appeal to it. Describing the film as a political thriller that gives a blow by blow account of modern day India during last three decades, Vivek gets emotional by calling Freedom as a dream come true, "This is a story that I have been waiting to tell for years now. Though Chocolate and Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal happened in the interim, I was always keen to bring Freedom for Indian viewers. The beauty of the subject is that it stays on to be as topical as ever as it starts in the 70s and takes us to the current times. Even if I had to make Freedom in 2020, it will still retain its charm because there would always be newer episodes to tell from the decade gone by."

Apparently, Vivek completely distanced himself from the outside world while writing the film. "I worked with Prasoon Joshi on the script for close to 6 months. After that I went to Himalayas for a couple of months and have just returned after locking the final draft. It has been over two years since Dhan Dhan Dhan Goal and I am raring to go. However, if you ask me whether I am tired then I would say 'No'. Writing Freedom has been such an enriching experience and even if I am required to spend a couple of more years to add more to it, I won't mind."

For Sanjay Dutt, it would be yet another saga other than his under production Lamhaa (directed by Rahul Dholakia) where he would be a part of a topical tale. Though in 2009 he saw success coming his way via a comic route (All The Best), 2010 could well open a new chapter in his life with Freedom following next. In the current decade, most of the films where he has been shown on the right side of the law (Shootout At Lokhandwala, Dus, Kurukshetra, Mission Kashmir) have been successful at the box office. Are we looking at him as a law keeper once again in Freedom?

"It would be too early to divulge his role though I can assure that it pretty much justifies his heavy weight presence", assures Vivek, "He would be present from start to finish of the film and would remain a part of the narrative through all the decades."